By: Elizabeth Haarberg

Avoiding Corruption

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking the SoundCloud link.

Keeping a clean heart is important to God, that includes not being pulled into the world’s way of doing things. I find that it is hard at times to stay separated from what the world wants us to see and hear.

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
James 1:27 English Standard Version

Social media, news media, work environment, even churches can be of the world. The structures in the world can be deceiving. They look good from the outside, but if we focus too much on them they can contaminate our hearts and minds.

What does it look like to be “of the world?” It can appear differently, but an easy litmus test is how worldly structures exist without the dependence of God.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Matthew 5:8 English Standard Version

How do we keep a pure heart, one that seeks after God consistently? Turn off the noise. Social media, news media, and work are not inherently bad. It’s when we focus too much on them that our thoughts become cloudy. I made the decision that if something draws too much of my attention, I either remove it if possible or move it to a different position in my life. If work is taking a lot of my time and energy, I take more time to rest in God’s presence during work and away from my job. Even children can distract our time and energy from God. As much of a gift as children are, their needs, feelings, and demands can create a vacuum for our attention.

My prayer is that God continues to work on my heart, moving me toward His image, and purifying me every second of the day.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado